What Happened to Whitemarsh Hall?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 มิ.ย. 2022
- Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, once said about this house, “ It’s a great experience to see how the rich live.” Today, we are exploring Whitemarsh Hall, the 3rd largest house to have ever been built in the United States.
Location: Springfield, PA
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What Happened to Whitemarsh Hall?
• What Happened to White...
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Music by Epidemic Sound
Photos from: Public Domain, Pennsylvania State Archives, Library of Congress, Springfield Township Historical Society, serianni.com, James Goode Capital Houses.
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I'm 69 and grew up with Whitemarsh Hall in view from my bedroom window, at least in winter. I had been fixated by the place since first seeing it in 1963 when a family friend took us for a tour of the place shortly before the Penn Salt Company, house's last occupant, moved out. I was a regular visitor (theoretically illegal at the time) up until the mid 70's and used to even play music in the front lawn with a friend of mine earlier on (when it was less illegal and we knew the caretaker). Let's just say I was devastated that they couldn't find a buyer for the place, saw its deterioration and vandalism, and it's ultimate demise. I was not alone in the area - The place had a special presence for us living in the area.
I still miss it...
I too could say the same.....a part of our lives!!!! And I am now 80!!!!
I always get sad when I see a video like this because I already know what the outcome is. Thankfully there are other beautiful homes that not only survived, but are thriving in beautiful condition. This a great channel. I like leaning the history even though the end is sad for these homes…
Same here
I always get sad
I see video first time
Yes I already know what the outcome
Now I finally see it
I really like how you rolled through the photos as you told the story of its decline. Such a stunning structure… it low key breaks my heart to know those gardens are gone.
Such a stunning structure
It low key break my heart to know those trees
I used to play in those gardens ...when we lived just below the mansion in Whitemarsh Village...what was left of the drive to the mansion was just a short walk from our development house...about 1955. My parents went to a party at the mansion about the same time...the salt co. owned it....they said the bathroom faucets were made of GOLD!!!!! (Perhaps just gold-plated?).
Making and maintaining a residence like that is a product of a bygone era. As lovely as it was, it was doomed to fail owing to the fact that nobody lives forever and that included their wealth. Still what you need to do is accept the wonderful talent that made it all happen including the hard work that kept it up during it's existence.
You are far from being wrong, but it still is a pity.😢😢
I saw this about 1971 or '73, abandoned, beaten, vandalized. Remarkably, some of the huge mirrors in the grand ballroom were in tact, mostly broken. I took a piece of broken marble lying about, wishing someone would have had the thought of at least gutting the building more orderly, and preserving fireplaces, mirrors, etc in museums, universities, and wealthier people's homes.
….yes, I too would occasionally call it a sick day and cut school, and ride my bike up to WH and study the ornament and too the fire places and over-mantels. The grand living room fire place had already been removed by Pennsalt. The ballroom fireplaces and the main dining room were well intact. The overmantels I later read were made (hand carved) in London at the Firm of White Allom at #15 Hanover Square. The building still exists and is now condo’s and high end stores on the street level. It’s a Victorian Dutch colonial building if that makes any sense. Lol
The carved Kent multi marbled fire place mantels were all in tact. I would bring spray Pledge Wax in my nap sack and Fantastic and do my best to at least make on element look magnificent again. It’s amazing what old terry towels and Pledge can do to carved marble. The upper mantels were unreachable. One would’ve needed an extendable ladder to get up there, but boy did I want clean those three upper mantels. I would’ve been age 14 then in 1973. Much of the house was restorable. The copper roof wasn’t peeped off until 1977or 78. I watched that act of vandalism by pure chance. I knew then and there that that would be the final insult….rain and ice would loosen and rupture the masonry rendering it unstable. All those upper mantels were vandalized in one way or another. The marble fire places removed, but by who? And where are they? Those marble mantels had to 6’6” high.
@@Wanamaker1946 you got a remarkable memory. You did a great job of details..good story telling. Write some books..your good.
Building an
Museum
Wealth
The entire property was magnificent. I loved everything about it. If I had to choose, I'd choose the grounds as my favorite. I am so thankful that someone had all the lovely pictures so we could see such magnificents as it once existed. Thank you.
A couple of minor historical tidbits:
During WWII, art collections came to Whitemarsh Hall for safekeeping, as there was a belief that coastal towns may be shelled by German ships, or bombed by German planes.
The basements contained a large number of work rooms. When the salt company owned it, they used these original work rooms as laboratories, and partitioned many upstairs rooms into offices. The coal bin was 2 stories tall underground, and the coal furnace was the size of a truck. There were elevators, which required an operator to use. The grand ballroom was so large that one could fit a regular suburban house in it with room to spare. Marble was the preferred finish, covering almost every wall and floor.
There is a very fine house at the gateway to the original property off Willow Grove Avenue. The gatekeeper would call the main house when the family arrived, and the organist would begin playing. The pipe organ could be heard throughout the entire property. There is another home with a porte cochere off Paper Mill Road which was the "back gate" to the property.
The homes built on the property just after WWII were made of poured concrete, which makes them a huge challenge to change. If you drive around the community, you'll see statuary and specimen trees from the original estate still existent.
The 1964 owner wanted to convert the property into a retirement home, but the township refused to change the zoning.
The 1970 owner, as explained in the video, wanted to build apartment buildings, but they weren't "affordable housing". The township refused to change the zoning. They wanted single family housing in there, or a commercial enterprise like the salt company.
The 1970 owner didn't pay his taxes, and the township ended up the owner. Throughout the 1970's, the township held events on the lawns of estate. As the years passed, vandals took to the building. The copper roof was stolen, as was all of the wiring, plumbing pipes, radiators, and anything remaining of value, including some doors and statuary, by thieves. Fires were set, and the building remained standing. The township put a fence around the building, but it didn't deter anyone.
When the house was torn down, a locked safe was found. When the safe was opened, it contained breeding records for Mr. Stotesbury's horses from the 1930's.
The developer who purchased the property tore the building down in 1980 (IIFC), in preparation to build townhomes.
Today, the West Belvedere still exists, as does the staircase that once allowed guests to go from the enclosed lawn to the lower garden. The columns that once supported the rear loggia still exist and give one an idea of how tall the building was. Unfortunately, the specimen trees around the former mansion, the very large fountain, and the marble "watering house" (which contained the valves that controlled water to the various fountains) were removed by the developer. If you look on google maps, you can see a large open area marked as Whitemarsh Hall where the original house sat. No townhomes were built on the footprint of the original mansion.
A line of large mansions leading from P.A.B.Widener's Lynnewood Hall in Elkins Park and continuing westward to Whitemarsh Hall were constructed in a 30 year period along, or in close proximity to Church Road. Many of these still exist, although they are no longer private residences. Several are colleges. Curtis Hall exists only as the original ballroom, sitting in a public park. Horace Trumbauer was the favored architect of many of these homes.
And now my personal experience...
I toured Whitemarsh Hall at the very start of the demolition. The way the mansion was demolished was to literally knock it to the ground and then push the pile down into the basements. Being a stone building, the demolition went very slowly. When I visited, I was able to access the first basement level. All the levels below that were completely full of water. Many of the work rooms were intact, with their original brass plaques stating what work was done in that room (imagine a room for "seamstress" or ""cobbler"). The first floor was covered in debris from attempts by the demolition contractor to remove architectural salvage, but the scale and grandeur was unmistakable once you walked into any of the primary rooms and saw the curved marble staircase, the 16' tall pocket doors, or the marble walls. On the second floor, the Stotesbury's bedrooms had an incredible view of the valley below. The elevator cars were still in their shafts. The only real way to get from floor to floor were the narrow twisting servant's stairs, as the grand staircases had been either vandalized or removed. The size of the place was overwhelming.
Thank you very much for this additional information. Very sad indeed.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!!!
Thank you for the in depth background information. I have this feeling the county administrators were enjoying watching the demise of the building because they seemed to cross the sale of the building many times. It would have made a nice hospital which would have employed many people.
Great story!.
History beautiful art collection whitemar hall
Of all of the lost great estates, this is the one that I most wished to have seen (not to mention lived in!!!) in its glory days. Eva's son Jimmy married Anna Dodge's daughter Delphine; also, her Daughter Henrietta was the 1st wife of General Douglas MacArthur. Please continue with the other Stotesbury homes: El Misasol in Palm Beach; Ned's original Philadelphia mansion (currently used as a club); and the Bar Harbor estate purchased from Pennsylvania RR president Alexander Cassatt (Mary Cassatt's brother).
That's a great idea
Thank you for pointing out the relationship-by marriage-of Eva and Anna.
@@juddwaddell4347 As I mentioned in the Rose Terrace video, Jimmy Cromwell dumped Delphine Dodge when he thought he saw lots more money in his next wife, Doris Duke. The money was there, but he didn't get it; Doris was too smart for that.
Delphine
@@gloriadouglas5968 ???
The staircase is always my favorite thing in these old mansions.
Staircase up and down
WOW!!! This estate rivals the Biltmore. BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Hi when I was in High School back in the 70’s we used to go into the Old Stotesbury House and Party. It was pretty cool and really big. It was pretty much a wreck by then and had alot of water in the sub basements. Actually one of the Stotesburies if I remember correctly Chip was one of my customers at my old shop in Roxborough. I am going back at least 40 years. Great Videos Thank You 🙏
Thank you for sharing..
The place was like a small city; makes me think of Versailles during the time it was occupied by King and Court. While I'm sorry it fell to the wrecking ball, it seems there was little that could be done with such a huge, sprawling place. Some of the 'town' mansions that were lost seemed like they could have been repurposed more easily, for things like colleges or hospitals. Odd to think someone with 86 Million was worried about being homeless.
The Place like a small city not areas building construction
It More land ground
Why does it always seem that after years of building a home they pass away shortly thereafter? Also, a lot of lessons can be learned from these rich people's mistakes.
So sad to see how much we have lost. I love how Europe recreates places. My brother lived in an apartment that was in a castles barracks. It was very old an they saved it by making apartments out of it. Loved seeing what was behind the walls during renovation.
Thank you Ken another sad story from a beautiful mansion torn down! I realize that keeping up the old mansions cost tons of money back in the day it’s a shame that they weren’t turned into big hotel Estates or into hospitals or some kind of school. What a shame all the history of the US has been demolished just to make cheap housing on the property. Very sad to see these things that happened. All that rich and famous people celebrated for just a few years spending millions of dollars to build a state just to be torn down to rubble a few years later!
Absolutely dreadful that such a wonderful mansion could be even considered for demolition, but I guess it became a "White Elephant". Such a mansion, not too far from where I live in North Yorkshire, England suffered a similar fate and was an astonishing mansion too.
After WW2 some owners of English
estates burned down their gradiose
homes because they could not afford
the repairs and taxes.
@@here_we_go_again2571 Yup. It was a combination of a socialist government's sky high taxation and death duties, coupled with the fact that a huge number of these houses had been commandeered by the military for various headquarters/ training schools, etc, and returned to their owners in 1945, very often in completely uninhabitable condition. It was the perfect storm.
@@phaasch Ugh...that's awful...and what replaces these is / are usually hideous, an comparative eyesore of new construction. one less thing of beauty to behold and inspire with nothing to replace it.
Whitemarsh Hall was arguably the greatest home ever built in the USA, rivaled only perhaps by the Biltmore Estate. It's really heartbreaking to me that it's gone.
Lynnewood Hall, a similar while somewhat less grand, gilded age mansion still stands in nearby Elkins Park. Unfortunately it has been vacant, pillaged, and partitioned. Sadly following in Whitemarsh Hall's footsteps.
Mansion
that's what happens when you die on the Titanic. I used to drive by these daily. Elkins mansion is supposedly about to become a wedding venue. Fingers crossed.
It is my understanding that Lynnwood has finally been liberated from that south Korean church that was literally allowing Lynnwood to chock under its own weight, and now there is an honest attempt to bring Lynnwood back from the dead, turn it into a place the public can tour, like Biltmoore. So have faith, it is now atleast possible that Lynnwood will survive.
The more of these I watch, the more I want to watch! I also checked out a bunch of books from the library on the Gilded Age after having been inspired by these videos.
You do a great job with these homes. Thank you for your work and the time it takes to do each one.
Just an amazing mansion.. again so sad to see it demolished
Just an amazing
Depressing. The owners never think about the future and what will become of these estates.
Jane Dee, I suspect they were thinking only of the immediate satisfaction, much like people do today.
Since the Edward Stotesbury the original owner was so good with numbers i wonder if he realized the house and estate were impractical and ultimately uneconomical and simply wasn't concerned about what happened after he and his were gone. Or maybe people back then believed the money and prosperity would just contine. It would be interesting to know which applied to the Stotesburys. I was once reading about the mansions of Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, a millionaires' row, and learned that a number of the mansions only stood for a short time: some of the owners had clauses in their will that after their deaths the houses were to be demolished. What a waste. I'm glad I'm working toward minimalism!
@@andrewbrendan1579 there is so much freedom in minimalism!
Another great video...Three subfloors and main floors with twentyfive foot ceilings...Thats absurd..
Its sad to think all these once grand estates and mansions are forever lost in time
I grew up and still live five minutes away. We played in the ruins as kids in the 70s. So sad that it’s gone. There are still fountains and statues from the gardens and guard houses here and there amongst the several variations of homes built in the 50s and 60s on much of the property. There are also columns and a portico from the main house in neighboring Stotesbury Estates, townhomes built in the 80s.
Thanks Ken for the research and presentation on this beautiful home.
We used to go and explore Whitemarsh Hall, and it’s grounds all the time in the early 70’s, the building had been in neglect and vandalized for a long time when we discovered it, but the building and property it sat on was still awesome and beautiful ! Walking around inside and out, you could imagine what it was like in it’s heyday! We had many great adventures their for several years until it was demolished!
Sounds just like what happened to the Vanderbilt's! Their fortunes all suffered from a terminal case of "mansion-itis!"
They stole them from the previous civilation, and wrote a false his-story.
Always fascinating stories, often very sobering.
I grew up in Oreland, Pennsylvania and went to Springfield High School. By the time the 70’s rolled around, Stotesbury had become abandoned and a place where could would go to explore the degrading mansion and be chased by the police. Thank you for the education on what it once was!
I grew up in Chestnut Hill a few miles from the property and I also "explored the house".as a teenager
@@danbernstein4694 This was demolished before you were born kiddo.
I WISH !
@@danbernstein4694 I honestly thought you were another DB who lived in CH. Stay well and continue fond memories.
😂
That's wild, that those columns are still there! That doesn't usually happen...
That's a nice looking mansion as well as the history of that old mansion.
Thanks, Alex!!
Such a shame to have lost such a beautiful architectural wonder. It's too bad it wasn't turned into a museum so it could be enjoyed for years to come.
Beautiful architecture
Beautiful architecture
EXCELLENT! Thank you for doing this.
Eva was literally forced to remove herself from her house by money expenses. The mansion's survival depends on the country's tax system, utilities, the size of the building, the building quality, and even the land size. A large sprawling mansion like Whitemarsh Hall would consume more unlike Marble House in Newport as it was more compact and easy to manage. Also, utilities from older days were much energy and resource-consuming. Heating so many rooms with such high ceilings, and 147 rooms in all was not a good idea.
I like your well-informed, practical comments. I like big houses of the past but I wouldn't have one even if I could afford it: all that money to heat and cool empty, unused space; all the money for maintenance and taxes. If I had that kind of money I would find better things to do with it.
In this case, wages were likely a huge part of the decline of this house and property. If it took 20 full time gardeners, imagine what maintenance and staff would have been necessary to keep the physical house in order. These considerations often resulted in the decline of such estates and the need to repurpose them via corporate, educational, or charitable functions.
@@andrewbrendan1579 Spoken like a TRUE GENIUS!! I couldn't possibly agree with you more.
@@andrewbrendan1579 Well, that is if you think smart on the size of the mansion, hall, or even the size of a manor house footprint. A twenty-room small mansion would be less hassle than over a hundred rooms with proper floor height. Think something like Henbury Hall built-in 1980 Paladian style, in Cheshire against Whitemarsh Hall. Today there is such thing as smart utilities and building methods. Central heating, insulation against dampness, and smart roofing methods are applied to old houses in renovations. It is done so to lower the costs of upkeep. Nobody wants to pay an exorbitant price for buildings and land upkeep.
Another informative episode. Very interesting house. In the aerial photos is reminds me of Chartwell in Belair it was the house used in the Beverly Hillbillies. There are some really interesting stories in Los Angeles real estate.
This is definitely another lesson within wealth: if it came to you easy or quick, it’ll most likely disappear just as fast
Hello Ken,
This is perfection. Superb.
That is a very sad story.. So many mansions end up like this...
Really appreciate the history of the Owners and Building, thank you
Money must have gone farther in the late 19th and early 20th centuries than the late 20th and early 21st. Another good report, Ken.
especially with no income tax until 1913
19th Centuries
This is just another tragic loss of a beautiful mansion, it’s such a shame that these people put all their money into their homes filling them with antiques and surrounding them with lavish gardens. Imagine being in the grand ballroom with 800 guests it would be overwhelming. I really love the style of this home and wish she could have donated it to be used as a museum, that would be a more fitting use of it. Oh well, such is the life of the rich. I bet she cried when she sold her prized diamond necklace, I know I would.
The gate keeper house is still right on willow grove Ave. It’s huge for a gatekeeper house and one of the most beautiful homes in Springfield Township still..
Look at the house at Douglas rd and willow grove in wyndmoor pa. It’s awesome
My last home had an Open Floorplan with (27 feet floor to ceiling), a semicircular staircase that led to the 2nd floor balcony area with my office, 2 bedrooms, the gym and 2 full baths, and exterior balcony the full pength 9f the house.
Downstairs had a grand feel, living + dining room, kitchen + family room, half bath, and a Master Suite. Best design that fit my needs in 3999 sq ft, exterior with desert landscape, bar, and Martini Pool, framed by a 12 ft Privacy Block Wall + stucco.
3 car garage
It was/is a place for Living.
Wow.
I grew up in one those homes built on the land. My bus stop as a kid was right in front of the "La Loire et Le Loiret" statue, which was a copy of the original by Corneille van Clève. Apparently, the original statue can be found today in the Louvre in Paris.
It breaks my heart when I see the final outcome of these magnificent mansions 😢. I then think about all the beautiful marvels of architecture from eras gone by: The Greek and Roman temples, their emperors’ palaces and villas, the beautiful marble bathhouses, etc . . . All gone and nothing left but ruins. Sigh 😞 As time goes by, it’s inevitable that news structures replace those of old.
The Greek and Roman
Temples the emperor
Palace and villas
For a closer look at Whitemarsh Hall and its creators, see "The Twilight of Splendor" by James T. Maher. It's long out of print, but a public library may be able to find you a copy.
This is the kind of house, that as a kid, “Richie Rich” would live in. Impressively stoic. Thanks for the video.
Very interesting story!! Great job!
Yes very interesting story
Great Job
Can't wait buying look like
Bad talk about somebody
It's awful hearing about all of these stately buildings being torn down--sometimes only a few years after being built. Why hasn't a charity or government office used these buildings as headquarters? How is it that so few have been preserved, and perhaps made into multi-residence buildings?
same reason Eva had. It cost too much to operate and maintain.
Thank you for such an informative video - Images of America book series did a whole book just on Whitemarsh Hall , available on line. I have been to the former house site in PA, and have photos of the column entrance (now in someone's backyard!) and the terrace remains. They are amazing to see in person and to imagine the splendor of that era! I feel privileged to have been able to do that. Trumbauer is one of my favorite architects.
I would like to see more homes that have survived!
just one time i hope that the mansion in your video is still around today!! Love all your video i havent seen all, is there such a video?!
Thank you for these fascinating videos. It's sad that so much money was spent for luxurious homes that did not last. Reminds me of houses built on sand mentioned in the Bible
This is fascinating 👍🏾
How about a segment on the Pillsbury mansion "Southways" on Lake Minnetonka which was recently demolished?
Wow I enjoyed this house !
The lime stone columns. Wow
just wonderful....thank you
Interesting how the Wealthy do not think about the long term upkeep of mega structures. That wealth could have done so much more.
Wealth
When I was in college, my elderly teacher for Architectural styles, had some knowledge of White Marsh Hall. Mr. Reed said they once employed a full-time architect on staff, to be able to deal with the maintenance and utility aspects of the building. The building apparently was collapsed in the demolition into its basements, and the original footprint of the vast structure was not built over. However, the surrounding home lots go to the very edge of this footprint, leaving an almost empty lawn of posted private property which is not accessible behind these homes. The pillars are visible with Google street view, but one cannot get an idea of what was once there with present street plans. The impressive giant gates, through which a long and winding road led to the mansion are on one of the major local streets. It would have been an unforgettable experience to visit the derelict mansion if the plans for a the field trip my teacher had considered, but was never able to do because of his unexpected death.
Your photos are excellent and the video well done. Thank you.
Absolutely my favorite estate! love it, sad to see it go
You should do Glensheen mansion in Duluth Mn. It’s gorgeous
Yes! Would love to see a video on this!
Uhh love the whitemarsh Hall story , so sad it went to waste
Unbelievable beautiful mansion and wonderful landscaping
And the family yacht was found here in Washington State is poor condition. The name NEDEVA was a combination of both names. It has since been rescued, and completely restored in Germany where it can be chartered..
Hello I love your videos and I was wondering if you could every find anything about Knoolbrook mansion. I have tried and no found anything it is in Pennsylvania and was owned by J. Howard Pew. Thank you love your videos
Pews lived in Gladwyne, PA, which I visited. Large granite home on a small hill, on many acres. I also visited White Marsh Hall when it was auctioned off, as open to the public to view. Old, faded memories.
In 1972 I lived in Maple Glen, Pa. about 10 miles from Stotesbury Manor. Friends and I explored the manor many times. We heard rumors that the manor was used during WW II to work on the Manhattan Project. We found many of the rooms and the levels below ground had been converted to some kind of scientific work. We heard that there were 5 to 7 floors of basements that included a swimming pool and a bowling alley, however access to the lower basement floors was blocked by flooding. We could get only 2 floors down where the water rose up the stairs, we could see the stairs disappear down into water. Once we were chased by the police, but we knew the layout of the house and were able to hide and were not found. On Sundays after church, families would come to the manor and walk around the outside.
Can anyone confirm that the Manhattan Project was worked on here?
P.s. I hope to see a reply. Peter Kirby is from San Rafael, Calif. But idk why he hasn't been making new content for a year. (They do cancel truthtellers and even holistic practitioners.) The New Manhatten Project is re chemtrails and etc. related tech.
I wanna cry everytime I hear “affordable Apts” It just shows the standard of living.
Imagine the jobs lost and the tax revenue lost. Wonderful that the community benefited as long as it did.
Interesting video
No mention of the Stotesbury's other magnificent winter home, El Mirasol, in
Palm Beach, Florida.
New sub! Liked 🙏👍
WOW
Would love to see Hurst Castle featured
My Mother often went to the estate as a teen to watch the important people
Arriving for parties. Her and her brother and cousin would hide behind trees on the estate. I guess they were trespassing and avoided the ground keepers. They just wanted to see the rich and famous!
It was in Wyndmoor. I grew up there and would explore the grounds.
could you do a review of Eastwick Hall in East Philadelphia PA ?
I see a neighboring grand house in our viewing future.
I love these, but I just can't imagine being a kid, and growing up in a place like that!?!
Wow
The landscaping was amazing and it's sad to think they could be saved as public gardens or an arboretum. Most of these grand places were built to impress and outdo the owners' friends and associates but were overkill for just a couple or one that didn't have an extensive family. You have to think there were probably rooms the owners had never stepped foot in before.
I wonder how many and if the craftsmen who used their skills to build this mansion ever left comments or had seen the destruction of their work when it was demolished. It must have broken their hearts and must have felt so helpless to stop it.
Wow sometimes I think my three bedroom townhouse is too much to manage and afford monthly utilities wow I could be happy in a one bedroom apartment. 🤷♀️
It seems that so many of these people over extended their means if economy, death, etc were to happen.
It was really in a suburban township not a city. And there is actually more statuary left in other parts of the area. Some very large. The "posts" for the main entrance are massive and still there. You can find more remnants if you know what streets to go down. Vandalism, fires, teenagers partying were problems in its last days. It is well known that Springfield Township (Montgomery County, PA. ) police members were involved in the theft of the copper roof. But the township refused to admit it. Once that was gone there was no protection for the insides.
Hi Ken. I am related to the Dodge family and by some weird luck - just discovered I am related to the royal family of Belgium where you mentioned is where the embassy is in DC. I am also related to JP Morgan, Henry Wells. Robert Weeks DeForest, Jesse DeForest, George Clarke , and more. I can’t help but wonder what luck I have that I am homeless and my family gave away everything .
Wow, what a tragic fate for such a lovely home!
1980. You'd have thought the idea of demolishing things of value would have passed by then.
I envy people who have a natural gift or geniousness for math and science.
Wow. That was some pile! Looking at the thumbnail, I thought it must have been a lost English stately home. How tragic that it still survived until as recently as 1980. It would have been better to have erased it altogether, rather than leave those few columns standing forlornly amongst the cement boxes people now have to call "home". It's almost a mockery.
At least the many photographs survive to remind us of that gilded age. Thanks for this.
Photography survival too remind us old age
My dad had a friend take a solid gold toilet out before they demolished it
When I watch these videos I always muse on a verse from a poem written by Walden Parker: It Will not make much difference friend, A hundred years from now if you lived in a stately mansion or on a river scow…..it’s too long to quote, but true words to chew on.
We would go down at night and walk through the mansion with flash lights. If you got caught on the grounds you would get a fine. It was amazing.
Can you do Lynnewood hall next
White Marsh, turned to Black Marsh and then Brown Marsh, Yellow Marsh and then Red Marsh!! That's what the Hell happened.
Too bad that it wasn't preserved, like the Biltmore Estate, in North Carolina. That branch of the Vanderbilt family, had the foresight, to open Biltmore to the public, to save/continue it for years.
It really is amazing how Europe was able to preserve houses like this for centuries and to this day still stands knowing how much it costs to maintain them.
Centuries
Very large, ornate homes requiring many servants and utilities usually don't survive in today's world. Everything today is smaller it seems - from homes to cars. Nothing lasts forever. Even though these homes were built to last, they didn't.